


Home is where your heart is

by TheSpaceFox



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Canon Compliant up to the end of S1, F/M, I don't know how tagging actually works, I'm Sorry, M/M, My First Fanfic, My First Work in This Fandom, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, also, by the way, hope it goes well, i am satan, so be prepared
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-11
Updated: 2016-08-25
Packaged: 2018-07-22 22:45:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 19,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7456780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSpaceFox/pseuds/TheSpaceFox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set after the end of s1. The paladins are scattered across the universe and now the chances of actually defeating Zarkon seem more slim than ever before but with the help of new and old friends their adventures continues. Will they make it?<br/>Slow-burn with eventual [Klance] and [Shiro x OC]</p><p>ON HIATUS</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1 - Allura

**_Chapter 1 - Allura_ **

 

This wasn’t good. All the paladins and their lions had been flung out of the ship, the wormhole was still unstable and the whole ship was shaking madly out of her control with every single alarm going off.

“Coraaan!” She screamed hoping her trusted general to have a solution to this crisis.

“HOLD ON PRINCESS! I might have an idea!” Replayed the elder Althean, frantically operating the ship’s controls.

Coran somehow managed to get them out of the damaged wormhole but neither of them could prevent the rough landing that followed. They were bruised but alive, and considering the day they just had it was something at least. Allura checked the state of the ship from her interface. It needed some work and the defense system was down but nothing vital to the flight had been damaged luckily.

“Coran, we need to find the paladins! Prepare to take off."

“I understand that we must find them without delay but we should first repair the ship. If we were to encounter resistance we wouldn’t be able to defend ourselves in this state!"

“We don’t have the time for that! - the princess cried - We have to find them! They all risked their lives for me, I will not stand by while they need my help now!"

Coran watched sternly his princess, he shared her feelings but she wasn’t thinking clearly. He had let emotion cloud his judgement once before and that was what put them in this mess. He could not let the same thing happen twice, not the same day at least.

“Princess please! I’m not saying we do nothing, just to wait a bit and at least repair the defense system."

Allura knew deep inside that the other Althean was right but she couldn’t bare the though of letting the paladins wait even a little.

“They could be in danger! Shiro was wounded and Keith's lion was severely damaged! We can’t risk to loose them!"

_Ah_ _,_ Coran though. That was the real problem. After all they had already lost he understood why she was so hellbent on saving the paladins and his soft spot broke.

“We won’t loose them I promise. But we can’t be defenseless when we will find them. I’ll repair the defense system while you search for the lions and once you have found them we take off. Alright?"

“Fine." she sighed, knowing to have lost her battle.

Coran exited the room and she went back to her control station. She closed her eyes to concentrate and as she gently touched the controls a map of the universe immediately appeared enveloping the whole room. She opened her eyes and used her hands to change the portion of the map to examine. Her attention kept leaping from one point to the other focusing all her senses in finding her new friends and then she felt it. A worm feeling, like a distant fire calling for her: The Red Lion. She enlarged the map and marked a desertic planet in a nearby galaxy with a bright red dot. She then enlarged the map agin and continued her search and one after the other she felt the presences of the lions.

The strong combattive character of the Black Lion on an asteroid not far from where Keith was, the charing and bright nature of the Yellow Lion on a gas planet in another sector of the universe and finally the chilly atmosphere of the Blue Lion was the farther from where they were now, a couple of galaxies to the notheast. She couldn’t find the inquisitive force of the Green Lion though, she enlarged the map even more but still nothing.

Even after numerous tries she still couldn’t find the smallest of the paladins. It was as if Pidge had vanished in thin air. Was she captured by the Garla Empaire? That would explain how she wasn’t able to find her , after all the same happened with Keith’s lion when it was in possesion of the Empire. Their technology was jamming the castle’s long distance systems making it impossible to find the Red Lion until it was near enough. That or she and her lion had been destroyed...

No. Allura couldn’t think of that possibility so she contacted Coran trough the communication system of ship: “How are we doing? Are we ready to leave?"

Coran almost jumped out of his skin upon hearing the princess’ voice and hit his head against the lifted panel he was working on.

“Ouch! Ah, Princess! Almost. I just need a few more ticks to set the shield’s strength properly and then we’ll be back on-line. Have you already found all the paladins?"

“No… I can’t find Pidge. - she said sadly - Maybe she was captured or something is interfering with the ship’s systems but there is nothing I can do about it. For now we have to retrieve the others and then we’ll figure something out about this. Come back up once you’re finished. We’re headed for Shiro’s location first."

Coran nodded before closing the communication and quickly finished the last adjustments needed, then once back in the control room he set a course for the Black Lion’s coordinates and they took off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is just a sneak peek of what is to come... If everything goes well I'm plannig to update this as soon as the next chapter is ready. Maybe once a week or at least once every two, if there are going to be delays it will be specified in the notes.  
> One note I wanted to share is that I headcanon Pidge as girl, so unless we get canon material that they think of themselves as a boy, I will be using female pronuons for them. I hope this doesn't offends anyone! IF canon make clear that Pidge sees themselves as a boy or any other sex I will be changing the text accordingly!


	2. Chapter 2 - Shiro

 

**_Chapter 2 - Shiro_ **

 

It hurt. Every other feeling in his body was numbed by the pain in his right side. Even the slightest movement caused more blood to spill from the wound and taint his pilot seat. He looked at the gash in horror. The three slashes Zarkon’s priestess had given him had been opened even more by the rough landing on what he assumed was some kind of asteroid.

Trying to ignore the pain he tried to make contact with the castle first and the other paladins later but no one answered. He tiredly closed his eyes as the sign of his defeat.

That was it. He was alone, stranded who knows where in the universe unable to contact any of his teammates and he was bleeding out. That was how he was going to die. Alone and away from home just like in the nightmares he had while he was a prisoner of the Garla Empire.

He couldn't remember much of that time of his life but the dreams had never faded, so vivid and terrifying even if he didn’t have a recollection of the actual events that had happened to him. But that was actually the scariest part of those dreams: not knowing where to draw the line between reality and nightmares. In the worst nights he thought that, maybe, there wasn’t a line at all but just that pain and clenching fear taking over his body was all he had known for almost a year. But that wouldn’t matter now, not anymore. He was helpless and hopeless, nothing but a powerless ant on a rock in the wast and magnificent universe.

He knew he wasn’t supposed to surrender to despair. He was the Head of Voltron, the leader, the one who should stand tall against all odds and be the solid pillar that his teammates needed him to be, but he couldn’t. Not any longer. He was too tired to keep fighting when there was no hope to cling to so he bitterly gave in. The witch and Sendak were right, the strongest part of himself truly was his arm.

Then with the realization his eyes shut open again, burning with a fire he thought long gone. His arm could cauterize the wound! It would hurt like hell but that was still better than dying from the blood loss. Shiro looked intensely and with doubt at his hand as he heated it. He was having second thoughts about actually doing it but that was his only hope to get out of this mess with his life so he pressed it against his skin. He screamed from the pain as smoke and the smell of burnt flesh filled the cabin. He couldn’t bear it for long so he quickly  lifted his arm and leaned to see the results. Part of the wound was closed and the bleeding had stopped in the area he had “treated". It worked. He repeated the process agin, trying to hold his arm still for as long as could and closed another part of the wound. 

Bathed in sweat and breathless from his screams he took a moment to regain his focus and gather the strength to continue the delicate operation. He thought of the words he had said to Keith back when they were looking for Red -  _Patience yields focus._ He was the Black Paladin, the Head of Voltron, he couldn’t give up. Not yet. So he repeated the painful sequence for the third time and he endured it. After all that was what he was good at. Enduring, fighting. Haggar was wrong, as long as he had even a spark of will to fight still in him he was not weak.

It took him another round to be sure the wound was closed, but after that he was done and he wasn’t going to die there. Still, he needed a way to contact the others but he wasn’t neither an engineer not a genius like Hunk or Pidge so all he could do was keep trying calling somebody in.

After an hour of nothing he was ready to give up and going to explore the nearby planet when finally a voice called back and on one of the monitors Allura’s face appeared and he was finally able to release a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

 

“Shiro! Are you alright!?"

“Don’t worry princess I’m ok now. What about you? And the others? Where are they?" The Black Paladin answerd assuming that his teammates were scattered across the universe just as he was.

“Coran and I are fine but even if we have located four of you, you are the first to answer our calls."

“Wait, four? Who’s missing?” Shiro replied with worry filling his voice.

“Pidge.” was the simple and drastic answer he received. He could tell that the princess was as distressed about it as he was and deep down he wanted to comfort her but he couldn’t hide the horror from his face when he heard the name.

He worried for all of them of course, they were like family after all they had been through together but he always had a special eye just for Pidge. She was the one who always pulled them out of a pitch situation and after the history between him and her family he couldn’t bear the thought of loosing her. He couldn’t fail her again.

 

The silence filled the space for a couple of seconds before Coran appeared on the screen and said: “We will find her. And all the others too. But for now we are heading your way. Can you flight the lion back to the castle once you are able to see us approach?"

Shiro recomposed himself and with more determination than before answered: “No problem. How long will it take?”

“A few more ticks and we will enter the system you are in now.”

“Good. See you later!"

And with that the transmission was over. True enough to their word Shiro saw the Althean ship appear gradually in the distance after a few minutes. He didn’t wait for them to get closer but instead started his lion and skillfully piloted it back to his hangar.

Once inside, the Black Paladin stood up and just then noticed the terrible condition the pilot seat was in. It was covered in now dried blood and had a little burnt on one side. He felt ashamed for defiling his companion but then he immediately felt a wave of confort from his lion. It understood somehow and even if Shiro couldn’t ear it in actual words, it felt like it was telling him something along the lines of “I’m just glad that you are alive and safe”. Still, leaving his lion, Shiro vowed to clean and repair it properly as soon as he had spare time.

He then headed for the control room of the ship and when he got there he hadn’t even the time to put a foot inside of it that he was greeted by a hug that almost made him fall.

Coran freed him of his strong grip after a few seconds as the princess was running to them.

“I’m so glad to have you back, Shiro!” Said Allura with watery eyes.

“It’s good to be back! - he replayed with a grin - But now we have to look for the others.  Who is the closest one?"

“That would be Keith. He is on a planet in the system next to this one. Coran has already set a course for him. Now you have to go to the cryo-pods and heal your wounds. You have done enough for today. We’ll take care of the rest."

“No, there is no need really. I’m fine. Besides I will not be able to rest until we find everybody."

“But your wounds! - cried the princess buying none of what she thought was the tough hero act - Let me see them!” She concluded before taking his arm and lifting it revealing that only a big fresh scar was left on his side.

She was petrified. What happened to his wounds? Did he do this to himself?

_Of course he did_ , she thought. He had always been ready to act even in the direst situations. He was so brave and levelheaded, truly worthy of being the Black Paladin. But her pride couldn’t but be clouded by the knowledge that he had been hurt and forced to scar his own body to survive because of her actions. She swore to herself that she would not put him or any of the other paladins in the same situation again.

 She raised her blue eyes and locked on his steely ones. They were hard but not cold and with a frown he used his good hand to soften her grip on his robotic arm. She knew immediately that he was able to read her every though in that moment like as if she was an open book.

“As I said - he put on a bittersweet and soft smile relaxing all his features - there is no need to worry about me. Let’s just find the others."

She would never stop to marvel how strong and stubborn earthlings could be. The lions had made a fine choice.

“Alright.” She replied and with a determined smile of her own she went back to her control stations while Coran tried to make contact with Keith or the other missing paladins and Shiro went back to his lion waiting for instructions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that got dark quickly... Anyhow stay tuned to see what happens next!


	3. Chapter 3 - Keith

**_Chapter 3 - Keith_ **

 

Keith came to regret is decision really quickly. He had left Red and decided to venture outside and explore the planet he had landed on in order to find some clue to were he was and ideally a way to contact the other paladins since his lion was almost completely out of order. But instead the only thing he found was sand and a possible case of dehydration. Just his usual luck. He wanted to scream in frustration but even if he did no one would have heard him, so he simply sighed and decided to go back and try agin to contact his friends.

Once he made it back to his lion he couldn't believe his eyes. A dozen, maybe more, lizard-like beings were fussing over Red, some working on him others chanting a tune in hisses more than in an actual language.

Oh no, this is enough. Though the Red Paladin and he sprinted in rage at the aliens materializing his bayard in his right hand.

"Get the hell away from him!" He screamed filled with frustration.

But the lizard-people didn't move, they just stopped to stare at him in awe.

"Ah! Our Lord! Please we are just honoring the Great Red no need to worry, we mean no harm!" called a raspy yet soft voice from behind him.

Keith turned and found himself face to face with a brown colored lizard-person, with yellow reptilian-like eyes and nothing but a cream colored rag for clothing.

He didn't trust any of these people, not because of their shady appearance but because he didn't know anything about them and even after spending an entire hour in the desert he hadn't find anyone before. But he remembered Allura's teaching about spreading peace as paladins and maybe these people where harmless just like the Arurians had been, he dared to hope that maybe they could even fix Red and help him get off of that giant sandbox of a planet. He need answers though and so, without dropping his guard nor sheeting his weapon, he inquired: "Who are you people? And what do you know about that lion?"

"We are the Rhamill and I am the high priest, Katu. And "that lion" is the Great Red, the brave companion of the Sun God, and you are his chosen warrior, the mortal reincarnation of his master the Sun. We humbly serve you my Lord of Light."

Keith mount dropped so much it almost touched the burning sand. He was supposed to be what now? Well, he didn't really care what those people thought of him and considering that the Arurians believed Allura to be some kind of Lion Goddess it would make sense that other worlds, hearing about Voltron, came up with some mythology to explain it. He decided to go along with this charade for now.

"Sun God. Yeah, why not. Listen can you help me fix Red then? I need to leave as soon as possible."

"Leave? But my Lord you haven't given us your blessing yet! Does it mean you have finally come to end the world in fire and ashes!? Have we angered you so much you have come to purge us?!"

Everybody, having heard the loud priest's speech, stared panicking, hissing and running everywhere like, well, like if the end of the world was about to happen.

"What?! Ugh, NO! EVERYBODY CALM DOWN! - he screamed finally getting everyone attention - Listen, I'm not here to end the world! Help me get the lion fly again and I will give you my blessing or whatever. Fine?"

"Have you heard your Lord? Get to work if you don't want the world to end!"

That wasn't what he meant but he didn't have neither the patience nor the time to correct the local population that was now working at an even faster rate than before.

"So exactly what kind of blessing do you guys want?" he asked Katu.

"You have to come to the temple and lit the five sacred bracers with your mighty light granting us your warmth and protection as you did when you forged the world!"

Keith wa starting to have an headache, he would prefer go back to fighting Zarkon himself and all his fleet rather that having to deal more with these people but he didn't have much of a choice if he wanted to go home. He hoped that Lance, Shiro and the others where having less troubles than him.

"Yeah, fine. I'll do it while those guys repair Red. Where is this temple of yours?" he said massaging the bridge of his nose.

"We are just above it! This way." Answered Katu, and started heading to the only stone wall visible among the nearby dunes. Keith wondered how he had missed it before.

In the wall there was a little opening leading underground, he looked one last time at his lion before following the lizard priest into the depths of the planet and whispered: "I'll see you soon buddy."

 

Not even in his wildest dreams Keith had ever imagined to find an entire underground city beneath the roasting desert.

So that's where all these people come from, he thought admiring the structures. The city was more that simple alcoves and natural caves, it was structured on multiple levels and every building was carved into the red stone skillfully. The streets were lit by dim luminescent crystals, similar to those that lit the castle's hallways with the only difference that these ones were dark red rather than pale blue. The city was still warm but not like the burning heat of the surface and if it wasn't for the lack of the sky he could think of that as a marvelous place to live in.

"Welcome to Petra, my Lord" Katu said while he kept guiding the Red Paladin to the temple.

The temple was the biggest structure of the whole city and it was inside a gigantic pillar that sustained the roof over Petra. Every inch of it was decorated by carvings of the sun, the stars and dancing flames around a lion. The immense building didn't have doors and from it escaped a bright light similar to sunlight, making the surroundings of the temple a little brighter than the rest of the city.

Keith followed Katu inside and he noted immediately the contrast with the outside of the building. There was nothing inside besides an square stone platform with five pillar, one for every corner and one in the middle. On each there was a stony bracer with a different carving in each of them. Above it stood a hole that let the light of the sun come in, giving an holy aura to the place.

"Here - said the priest giving Keith a blazing torch - lit the five sacred fires in the same order you did when you created the world and then give us your blessing O Merciful Sun!"

The Red Paladin was perplexed. Order? He didn't know the right order! But he couldn't say that or these people wouldn't have helped him getting home so he took the torch and examined every bracer and every carving hoping to find a solution before the priest noted he was bluffing.

The four bracers on the corners had carved in theam a tree, an eagle, a mole and a fish respectively while the central one had a sun. That wasn't much of an help. He needed to come up with something quickly.

He held his chin with his free hand and started thinking about what he knew about these people. They thought of him as the Sun God that created the world so the central pillar would have been the first to be lit since in their mythology it was the Sun that created everything else. But then what?

The mole? As in the hole they were in? Or the earth maybe, that would make more sense. Then the fish for water? He didn't recall seeing any water since he landed but he knew there had to be some for life to form and it would make sense it was created after creating the planet. The hard part was now though. The eagle could stand for the sky and the tree for what? Plants? Keith hadn't see any just like for the water so maybe it meant something else, like wood to aliment a fire. But if that was the case shouldn't he put the tree first since without it the fire could not be lit?

This was giving him even a worse headache than before so he diced that there was no point in thinking it over and he started lighting them up following his instincts. First the Sun Bracer, then the Mole, the Fish, the Tree and finally the Eagle one.

Once he had finished Katu bowed deeply and waited for the blessing.

"I, the Sun God give you my blessing, rise!" Said the Red Paladin. After all this godhood thing wasn't so bad.

"Thank you my Lord!"

After they left the temple, every Rhamill bowed as they climbed back to the entry of the city. Keith thought with a smug that Lance would die from envy at the scene and looked forward to slap it on his face as soon as he made it back.

Once they were back to the surface Keith was happy to see that Red was back on its feet and seemed as good as new. He thanked the lizard-people and quickly took his seat in the head of the lion. He took off in a flash and could see the Rhamill wave and bow in respect to him. Yes, he could definitely get used to this.

 

He noted that the controls weren't as fluid as before just once he was outside of the atmosphere of the planet. It wasn't a big problem for now but he would have to deal with that once he was back to the Castle of Lions because his major strength in combat was Red's agility. Fighting without him at full power it would be like fighting with his hands tied and that would be stupid especially after having seen the enemy's true power.

In that moment a familiar face appeared on one of Red's screen and called to him: "Keith? Do you copy? Keith!?"

"Coran! Finally! Where are you? And the others?"

"We are coming to get you, only Shiro is with us but we have located Hunk and Lance and we are trying to find Pidge. How is your lion? Can it fly?"

Pidge was missing? That wasn't good but Keith assumed that Allura was doing her best to find her so he didn't pry.

"Yes the lizards helped me fixing Red, it's not perfect but it will do for now. Give me your location and we'll meet half way."

"The lizards? Did you get a sunburn?" replied the elder male confused.

"No! There were lizard-people that fixed Red!"

"Yeeees… Of course there were! Are you sure you can make it back to the ship? We could send Shiro to-"

"CORAN! I'm Fine! Look, just forget it! Give me the coordinates and I'll come to you, ok!?" He would have to deal with that later, for now all he wanted to do was go back to the castle and get rid of the sand that literally went everywhere inside of his armor while he was exploring the desert.

"Here they are." And with that instead of Coran's ridiculously orange mustaches there were coordinates on the screen now.

"Let's go!" Shouted Keith to his red companion and they sprinted towards the castle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If someone was wondering Petra is an actual ancient city in Jordan. I took some liberty with it but that's where I got the idea. Look it up it's pretty sweet!


	4. Chapter 4 - Hunk

**_Chapter 4 - Hunk_ **

 

"I can't believe this! Almost every function of the lion is back to normal! It just needs some little tweaks here and there and it will be battle ready in no time! Keith, I didn't know you were also a mechanic."

"I told you! It was the lizard-people called Rhamill that tough I was the Sun God! That's who fixed Red! Why don't you believe me?!"

"Because - said Coran still inspecting the Red Lion - Rha is supposed to be uninhabited! We have no records of any life form to be on the planet."

"That's because they live in an underground city!"

Keith was about to kick Coran's alien butt out of the hangar, they had been fighting over the existence of the Rhamill ever since he came back to the castle and he was about to loose all his patience.

"Alright! Knock it off both of you! - as always Shiro was the only one with sense still in him - The important thing is that Keith is safe and Red wasn't damaged. Can you finish fixing it while I go check with Allura how long will it take to get Hunk?"

Both of them looked like children that had been scolded by their father, despite the fact that Shiro was only a couple of years older than Keith and a well amount younger than Coran.

"Yes." They responded in unison but as soon as the Black Paladin left the hangar the Althean man whispered before getting back to work: "Unhinabited."

"Oh! Come on!" was the answer shouted by Keith.

Shiro herd them even from the hallway but decided not to butt in again.

When he entered the controls room Shiro found the princess focusing on a map of the universe, undoubtedly looking for Pidge.

"Still nothing?" He asked getting closer to her.

"No… - said the princess closing the map and looking to the floor, distraught. - I don't understand, even when the Garla had the Red lion I was able to perceive its existence even if couldn't find it but now I don't sense anything! Shiro, I'm starting to think the worse…"

No. He couldn't take it. Not her. He started to grasp a every last strand of hope he had, thinking of every other other possibility but her being gone. The thought of never seeing agin Pidge's mischievous smile while she was joking with Lance, never seeing her eyes sparkle at the sight of some kind of alien technology was killing him inside. She was the youngest of them and the one he should be protecting more and yet she was the one he had let down. Again.

"No. Don't go there. We - _I_ , he thought - can't afford to loose hope. Maybe she's relaxing somewhere and something is just jamming the systems of the ship…"

"The long-distance communication systems are not jammed! If they were I wouldn't have found any of you and we wouldn't have been able to contact-"

The princess stopped mid sentence as if she just had the biggest truths of the universe revealed to her all at once.

"What is it?" Asked Shiro noting the horror form in the girl's eyes.

She said nothing but instead opened a blue interface from thin air and she started frantically moving her long and thin fingers on it, checking the status of the ship once more. She stopped dead in here tracks when a red alert signal popped up on it.

"Quiznak." She whispered.

The elder paladin was confused and worried. Did she found Pidge? Was she dead? He need answers now.

"Allura…?" He said as he got one more step closer to her.

She turned, her voiced usually strong and composed now cracked by grief and guilt: "It's my fault… The long-distance system had been slightly damaged and I didn't notice, that's way we weren't able to concat any of you without getting closer first... If- If only I had been more carful…"

Shiro understood what the princess meant. If she had notice maybe he wouldn't have cauterized his wounds as last hope and they would found everyone more easily. But that didn't matter to him. It was an hard situation and Allura did the best she could, she made a mistake sure but as long as they could find everyone it wasn't important to him. Besides one more scar didn't make that much of a difference now.

"Hey, it's ok. You did your best. - he said putting a hand on her shoulders to confort her - If we fix it, will we be able to find Pidge?"

Allura looked him in the eyes finding her focus again. Right, it didn't matter what had been. They still need to find Hunk, Lance and Pidge. Fixing the ship was their top priority, she would have time to regret her actions later.

"I think so… She probably ended up out of range of the functioning systems. For sure if we fix it we'll be able to speak with Lance and Hunk even if they are still far away."

"Then let's get to work!" said Shiro with a relieved smile.

"No, you have done enough. This is something I have to do. Just tell Coran about it so if I'm not fished before we arrive to Hunk's location he can take over here."

Shiro wanted to help but he knew what was going through the princess head right now. He knew she thought it was her fault and so it was up to her to fix it. He understood that feeling quite well and seeing her determined self agin he decided to let her have her way and only nodded before going back to the hangar.

 

°°°

Hunk was going to puke for the fifth time now. All he had been doing for the past two hours was puking, actually. He was stranded in some kind of giant storm and he couldn't see absolutely noting but the orange and red clouds whirling around him and he and Yellow were being shaken around endlessly by the strong winds. He swore he would have never insulted Lance for his terrible piloting skill again after this was over.

Then a familiar face appeared on one of the interfaces and he started crying from the joy: "CORAN! You're alive! Come pick me up I'm scared!"

"I can see that very well. - the elder Althean answered with a raised eyebrow - But there is a problem…"

"Great! Just when there isn't a problem!?"

"The winds are too strong, we can't risk getting the castle-ship stuck in them. You-"

"Oh no! No, no, no, no! Don't even say it!"

"You have to get out of the atmosphere of the planet on your own…"

"HOW EXACTLY SHOULD I BE DOING THAT! I don't know if you are aware but I can't see jack!"

"What? Who's Jack?" replied confused the alien.

"YOU ARE NOT HELPING!" answered the Yellow Paladin more frustrated than ever.

"Yeah right… Anyway do you remember the training we did on Arus?"

Hunk had lost it. What had that have to do with anything.

"Yes, it was awful!"

"No, not that! The part were you had to fly your lions with the training helmets!"

Ah, Hunk remembered that, still awful but now he saw what Coran wanted him to do.

"See what my lion sees, feel what my lion feels?" Hunk said in an awful imitation of the ginger man.

"Yes! You can do it Hunk!"

Hunk took the lion controls more firmly in his hands and closed his eyes, trying to focus on his lion but it was hard with the winds tossing them around the atmosphere of the planet and Coran yelling encouraging phrases at him all the time wasn't helping either.

"Shut up, would ya! I'm trying to feel like a giant robotic cat here!"

And after that outburst the other man stayed silent and he could finally concentrate.

At first nothing seem to change but then he felt it, like a low roar vibrating through both him and Yellow and when he opened his eyes again he could tell which way he was facing.

He turned upward and sprinted toward outer space, fighting the winds' strength. Piloting Yellow had never been so easy before, it was like every movement the lion made was his own, he could feel everything Yellow felt, from the pressure of the winds to the wetness of the clouds as if they were on his skin and not on the robot's armor. It was like discovering to have a new sense, something new but that came as natural as breathing. In matters of second he was facing the Castle of Lions.

"I did it…? I DID IT!"

He didn't stop screaming with excitement until he got to his hangar. Then he regrouped with the others in the main control room where they were waiting for him.

"Glad you made it back buddy!" greeted him Keith looking relieved.

Hunk looked around and noted that there was something missing.

"Wait… Where are Lance, Pidge and the princess?"

Shiro was the one to answer his question: "Lance is stranded on planet far from here, will need a wormhole to get to him. Allura is fixing the ship's systems so will be able to talk to him and find Pidge who's still missing."

Pidge was missing? Hunk was worried for his friend but he knew that she was probably doing fine so now their priority was to get the ship back to full strength.

"Alright then. I'm not Pidge but maybe I can help Allura fixing the castle."

"There's no need for that, but thank you Hunk. I'm glad you are safe!" Said the princess, who had just entered the room.

"I take it you fix it already." Coran stated more than inquired.

"Yes! Try connect us to Lance immediately!" The girl said taking her position at the pilot station.

A blue screen appeared in the room and on it there was the Blue Paladin's distressed face, on the background the sound of a battle, with explosions near and close and lasers sounds.

"Lance! - Keith was the first to get the boy's attention - What's going on? Are you being attacked?"

"Keith? - he said only then noticing the communication panel - Oh my god you're alive!"

Then a blast hit the Blue Lion and alarms started going crazy in its cockpit.

"Lance!" Cried everyone this time.

"I'm fine but I don't know for how long! I've been fighting Garla's ships since I got here! Care for giving me a hand?!"

"We are coming! Can you hide somewhere in the meantime?"

"I would, but there is literally nothing but water were I am now, Princess!"

"Dive in then! The Blu Lion was created to be exceptionally functional under water!"

"Got it!"

The transition was over then and Allura turned to the paladins: "Get to your Lions! I'll open a wormhole, will be there in a of few ticks!"

But they were already going. A small smile grew on her face and then she proceeded to open the blue portal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I know that there was not much about Hunk in this and I'm sorry but I'm having trouble writing chapters totally focused on him even though he's one of my faves in the series. :(  
> I hope that what little of him I put in this chapter actually was good (or at least bearable) anyway I'm not sure if I'll be able to write major chapters about him or not but I'll make sure not to leave him out of the narrative.  
> Also I'm not sure when I'll be able to post the next chapter because I'll be busy for the next two weeks with life, sorry. If I can I'll try to write something before the end of the month but I'm not promising anything. :(  
> Anyway thank you all for reading and for your support! :)


	5. Chapter 5 - Lance

_**Chapter 5 - Lance** _

 

 

“Dive in then! The Blu Lion was created to be exceptionally useful under water!"

"Got it!” Lance didn’t waste any time and closed the communication before turning his lion in a vertical dive.

“Here it goes!"

The giant lion was engulfed by the sea water in an instant with massive splashes flying everywhere around the surface. Lance looked up and somehow it worked, there was no trace of his pursuers. He will have to thank the princess later. Good thing that Blue was more than a simple space craft, he made a mental note to himself to brag about it to Keith once they were safe back on the ship.

He then decided to look around while he waited for the others, they shouldn’t take long but still he finally had a second to breathe and he intended savor it as much as he could.

The ocean was beautiful. It was dim, with only few rays of sunlight reaching the depths he was at but that eerie, desolate atmosphere didn’t scare him at all, actually it put him at ease. The water wasn’t the same shade as the Earth’s oceans’, it was a little greenish, but still it reminded him of home. Of the hot summer days spent with his siblings playing in shallow waters, of the feeling of chilly raindrops on his skin in autumn, of the freezing snowflakes melting on his tongue during winter. His heart ached a little thinking of how far home was, of how, maybe, this greenish water was the closest thing he would get to Earth in a long while. If he ever got back that is. Looking at things now he feared he would never have that chance.

Blu wasn’t looking too good. It could still fly and shoot lasers so with the help of the others he should be able to get back to the ship but still he wasn’t sure how much more heavy fire his companion could take.

After a few seconds Shiro appeared on another communication window taking him back to the present: “We’re entering the atmosphere now. Wait for our signal then get out of cover and head for the ship. We’ll cover your back."

“What about your back though?” Lance asked.

“Don’t worry, we’ll manage."

Lance smiled cockily at that: “Alright! Bring it on then!"

 

The other three paladins left the cloud cover in an instant and started drawing the enemy’s attention to them. There were more than fifty Garla ships floating just above the sea level looking for Lance in a tight formation and even with the three of them together it would be difficult to eliminate all the ships but still they should be able to create a diversion allowing Lance to escape while doing a considerate amount of damage. In the end things could be worse, but last time they underestimated the enemy they lost the princess and fell right into Zarkon’s trap. Shiro wouldn’t let that happen again.

“Keith, take the left side. I’ll take the right. Hunk, you try to smash all the ships you can."

“You got it!” answered in unison both the Red and Yellow Paladins.

As per plan, Keith skillfully piloted Red to the left side of the formation opening fire. The Garla’s retaliation was quick and hard, a myriad of lasers shooting back at the young pilot. But Keith doesn’t scared easily and with his trusted companion back to full strength he was able to doge the bullets almost effortlessly. The same couldn’t be said of the enemy’s ships that started blowing up one after another. The Red Paladin engaged the ruthless aliens in a dangerous yet elegant dance of attacks and doges that was slowly luring them away from the water surface. 

Shiro did the same from the other side, opting for a more direct approach. With his jaw blade equipped he went in for a more close-quarter combat style, making slightly more damage than Keith but also getting more unwanted attention. Fortunately Hunk was ready to smash any ship that passed unnoticed by the other two pilots. It was a team effort but finally the three of them were able to create enough room to Lance to make his escape.

“NOW!” Shouted the Black Paladin and in matters of seconds the Blue Lion emerged from the greenish waters guns blazing, taking out the lowest ships in the formation and creating an opening in the remaining ships he and the others could use to retreat.

The first to head up was Shiro tailed by Hunk, Keith and finally Lance. The enemy’s ships started to follow them without ceasing fire. The paladins were skilled enough to avoid any direct hit but Lance, with his lion already damaged, quickly started falling behind.

Keith was the first to notice that the Garla was catching up with the Blue Paladin and with quick and precise moves he put himself between the two of them.

“Keith! What the hell are you doing!? Get out of the way before you get hit!” Cried Lance still moving forward at high speed.

“Quit complaining, I’m saving your sorry ass!” Shouted back through the communication system of their helmets the Red Paladin.

He didn't waste more time and summoned the huge cannon on the back of his lion just like he did in his fight against Zarkon.

“THE HELL IS _THAT_!?” Lance stopped in his track and stared with wide eyes at his peer.

“ _This_ is Style.” And with that he opened fire, incinerating the majority of the ships that were still following them starting a series of explosion that seemed to go back all the way to the water, his lion just a black silhouette against the bright light.

Lance was dumbfounded. It was the coolest thing he had ever seen and considering the turn his life had taken in the last few months it was saying something. But his awe was bittersweet since Keith was his “rival” and he couldn't let him win easily. He had a reputation to live up to after all, no matter how sensational that stunt was, so he tried to keep his cool and not to drool and asked: “Yeah, cool but can you dive underwater?"

Keith pulled out his proudest grin but before he could reply Hunk cut in: “Holy crap! If you always knew you could do that, well, why didn’t you do it sooner!? That was _amazing_ dude!"

“Guys focus! There’s no time for that now! We have to leave before more come. - Shiro stated authoritatively - Still, that _was_ pretty cool. Good job, Keith.” The oldest paladin concluded with a softer tone and a small proud smile on his lips.

Without further delays the four headed back to castle-ship where the Altheans where waiting for them.

 

The quartet walked fast and silently down the hallways that connected the hangars to the control room. Lance couldn’t but have the feeling something wasn’t right. Beside the heavy silence, and the worry written all over Shiro’s face, even if he was trying to hide it, the most prominent anomaly was the lack of certain small smartass. Had something happened to her? Lance didn’t want to think of the possibility so to fill the silence he asked: “So, what happened to you guys? I mean I couldn’t be the only one to be stranded on a Garla-infested planet."

“Actually, I think you are. I mean I don’t know about Keith and Shiro but I was stuck in a Gassy Giant. No Garla but geez those winds were terrible.” Said Hunk who seemed again about to puke all over the place.

“Yeah, no Garla for me either.” Said the oldest of the four, without elaborating much on his adventure.

“Same here. But - Said Keith pulling out his grin and enjoying every second of Lance incredulous face - I did get to be worshipped as a god by some lizard-people."

“You’re making that up!” The blue paladin was about to trow ones of his usual tantrums.

His day couldn’t get any worse. First they lost Allura, then they almost got killed by the evil emperor of the known universe, then his fleet almost beat him to a pulp and now Keith not only had a shoulder cannon on his lion, he was considered a god too? No, This was too much. He almost felt like his rival was slipping away bit by bit. Steadily and quickly and he was going to be left behind. 

But before he could think of some insults to trow at his friend he noticed that they were already at destination. The paladins entered the main control room of the ship and found Allura concentrated inspecting different sectors of the universe, while Coran was piloting the ship away from the planet occupied by the Garla’s soldiers.

The map was huge as always but Lance found it odly familiar, with constellations he had studied since he knew what a star was.

“That’s the Milky Way…” he said breathless with sorrowful eyes that everyone noticed.

Shiro was about to say something to comfort him about his homesickness when Allura shouted in gleeful surprise: “I found her!"

Everyone’s attention shifted to the beautiful princess as she enlarged the map and then marked the coordinates with a bright green dot as full of hope as the boys that were watching her.

Lance was for once speechless. Keith gave him a pat on the back, so strong that almost made him fell and Hunk put his big gentle hand on one of his shoulders and said with a big warm smile: “Guess we’re going home."

The leaner boy returned his smile, more faintly and with bittersweet eyes simply replied: “Yeah."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! Life happened and I couldn't get anything out before now... Hope the wait was worth it!  
> Side note, Klance is finally back together but for now there isn't much going there as you saw. I do plan to make Lance and Keith more important (as a couple) later on in the story but I also love slow-burns so I hope it will be a gradual and well done development in their relationship. I love them (both as single characters and together) so I want to make it as believable as possible. So I'll work in more and more romance for them later.   
> By the way next chapter we are finally going to se what's up with Pidge and there will be another surprise too, so stay tuned!


	6. Chapter 6 - Pidge

 

**_Chapter 6 - Pidge_ **

 

 

She didn’t know what happened exactly. One minute she was inside the wormhole fleeing to safety with the rest of the team and the next she and Green had crashed on a uninhabited looking moon lost who-knows-where in the universe.

Pidge tried to make contact with the others and the Castle of Lions but it was no good, only darkness and static noises answered her call for help. She was scared but she couldn't panic, not yet at least. If only she could find out where se was maybe she would be able to get back to the others. The only problems were the “maybe" and "if” parts.

After taking a long breath to calm herself she started meddling whit Green’s interface. She was smart but she was still trying to figure out an impossible problem with some strage and complex alien technology so her work took some time but after an hour or so of trial and error she finally was able to make a map of the portion of the universe she was in appear on one of the monitors. It was in Althean but luckily she had Coran teach her the basics of the alien language, or at least enough to make out what the letters near the green dot representing her meant: “Ganymede - She read aloud - I’m back in the Solar System!?”

She was incredulous, after all she’s been through she was back home. Well not actually home but it was close enough. She could go back to Earth in matter of few seconds in her lion, forget all that had happened and pretend it was all just a dream. She could go back to her mother and live the rest of her life normally. She could, Pidge though, but she wouldn’t. If she had done than all they had achieved and all they had sacrificed until now it would all have been for nothing. If she had left now she would never find her family again. If she had left now she would have doomed the entire universe, she would have doomed her friends. No, she corrected herself, she couldn’t.

So, instead of starting her lion and head home, she started working with its computer. She needed a radio beacon or something that could signal her position to the Castle and Allura. She managed to come up with one working after another hour or so, now all she had to do was to wait and hope her plan worked. 

She decided to go for a walk on Jupiter’s largest moon while she waited, after all she couldn’t do anything else now. The moon was icy and desolated, nothing like the one they had stopped on while they were going to the Balmera. Pidge wished the other paladins were safe back in the castle or at least somewhere nicer than this frozen desert she was stranded on.

It was then that an insecure, even scared, feminine voice called to her: “Who- No, what are you?"

She turned in an instant to the source of the sound. It was a human girl in one of those hideous white, black and orange Garrison's spacesuits. Pidge couldn’t make out her feature through her helmet but since the other earthling wasn’t much taller that herself she assumed she couldn't be that much older either. 

“Hey, don’t be afraid I’m a human! Are you here on a mission from the Garrison?"

“How do you know about the Garrison? How are you here?” Said the girl backing away slightly, clearly scared.

Pidge realized in that moment that the whole thing must seem odd at best, terrifying at worst. After all nobody from Earth, aside from the paladins obviously, knew about Voltron or the Garla Empire so she decided to explain to the elder girl what was going on, not in detail though, just enough for her to understand her situation and possibly not report her to the authorities. She surely didn’t want to have to deal with them.

The girl listened carefully at the strange - boy? girl? it didn’t matter - person’s story and after a few minutes of contemplation replied with a british accent that Pidge hadn’t notice before: “If what you’re saying is true I won’t tell anybody about you. I know that the Garrison tried to hide an incident about a flying Blue Lion in the desert near the school a couple months ago."

 

  
_Months?_ Pidge though. Had it been so much already? She had lost track of how much time they spent on their adventure, knowing it had been so long made her want to go look for her family even harder. They had been lost for too long already, but she will have to deal with that later. 

“Thank you so much!” 

“But - the other girl continued - you have to show me this magic lion of yours. This isn’t something that happens every other day after all."

Pidge's mouth dropped. Of course she wants to see Green, she coursed herself for not lying but if this girl could really be trusted on her word then her just seeing the lion wouldn’t be that big of a deal, would it? Then she remembered Lance and how he got his lion stolen and wanted to punch herself for the mess she got herself into.

“Alright but no touching!” she agreed finally.

“Of course. I’m Layla, by the way."

“Pidge.” she responded out of habit. She liked her true name and she didn’t need to keep her identity secret anymore but after all this time she taught of her cover name as a nickname and it would feel weird to introduce herself as Katie.

Without any other words that the girls started heading for the lion.

 

“Holy crap!” was very unlady-like reaction Layla had when she saw the enormous robotic cat. 

Pidge grinned at that and cockly responded: “Yeah Green’s pretty cool, huh? Wanna see the inside?"

“Yes please!” Responded the cadet with childish, nerdy glee in her voice.

Pidge's smile grew even more, she liked this mysterious girl.

They entered the lion and the first thing Pidge did was to check if her beacon got any results but unfortunately there was still nothing so she turned to the other girl and taking her helmet off she asked: “So, why were you alone literally in the middle of nowhere?"

Layla mimicked her and got rid of her helmet revealing long dark-red hair gathered in a loose but intricare braid. “I was exploring."

“On your own?” replied Pidge in a doubtful tone. She knew how the Garrison operated: every team had no less than three people and she was sure she hadn’t seen anyone else around.

“Yes, I mean no. I- and she sighed - It’s complicated"

“I’ve got time. Besides I’ve told you my story it’s your turn to share.” Pidge was curious by nature but there was something about this girl that made her want to know more. She could not explain how or why but she felt like it wasn’t a coincidence that they met.

“Alright, fair enough. I’m not on my own on Ganymede the rest of my team is somewhere sleeping in our base probably. - and she glared at the distance at that. - We where to take ice samples and study them here to see if there where something we could use, like new elements or even some kind of life form."

"Like the Kerberos mission…” Pidge said with sadness in her voice.

“Yes, exactly. - Layla responded with the same sadness for some reason, but soon sadness became rage - But those idiots don’t care even a little about our mission. All they care about is the money they will get once we go home and they are leaving all the work to me. I mean, yeah, I’m the biologist so I’m the one that has to do the science stuff but come on! They could at least help with finding the right spot for taking samples but no! Let’s have the untrained new recruit do all the work and get lost in the process! I don’t think they’ll even notice that I’m gone, not until dinner at least, because of course I have to make dinner too!” 

Layla’s face had become all red from frustration and Pidge had a hard time trying not to laugh in her face. She reminded her of Matt and his passion about being the biologist of the team, her heart ached a little at the thought of her missing brother.

 

Then a voice spoke from the communication system of the Green Lion: “Pidge? Pidge, are you there!?"

“Allura!” Pidge cried so happy to hear the princess’ voice as never before.

“Thank goodness! We were afraid something happened to you since we couldn’t track you down at first."

“Don’t worry I’m fine! What about the others? Did you find them? Are they all right?"

“Yes! We have already retrieved the other paladins and their lions. Shiro was the only one injured but he is fine now."

Pidge wondered why Allura’s eyes became a little darker at that last remark, she wasn’t happy about Shiro being wounded of course but if he was ok now there wasn’t nothing to really worry about right? She decided to ask more later.

Meanwhile Layla that had been silent up until that moment gasped looking intensely at the alien princess and the green paladin, still making sure to stay out of the visual field of the dark skinned woman.

“Good. Will you come get me now?"

“Yes, we will be there in few ticks. Once we are come aboard and head to the main deck we will wait here."

 

“Got it!"

And with that the screen went black and a wormhole appeared above Ganymede and from it the Castle of Lions emerged in all its beauty.

“Alrigh, seems we’re going home. It was nice to meet you Layla!” Pidge said to the elder girl that was gazing at the ship in awe.

She bit her lip and then turned to the Green Paladin with eyes full of tears: “Is… Is the Shiro that woman mentioned the pilot of the Kerberos mission?"

 

“Yes… Do you know him?” Pidge was wary of this turn of event, why on Earth did this girl know who Shiro was?

“Take me with you!"

Pidge stared at the red haired woman speechless, she was at loss. First of all that didn’t answer her question and secondly this girl was mad if she thought she would just bring her with them on a dangerous mission to defeat the evil empire that wanted to conquer the universe.

“What!?"

“Please! I’m begging you! If he’s alive I have to see him!” Layla clawed Pidge's shoulders desperate to get on the main ship.

Pidge watched with knowing eyes the other girl. She had seen the same desperation, the same need for truth in herself. She wanted to help her, even if she couldn’t see her loved ones she hoped at least this other girl could get the answers she was clearly seeking. But she also had to be sure that this wasn’t some kind of trap. She wouldn’t make the same mistake Lance did.

“Do you know Shiro? If so what is he like?” 

“I don’t know what he is like now… it’s been over a year since the last time i saw him but - Layla let go of the younger girl and looked back at the ship with clear green eyes full of sadness - the Shiro I know is tall and solid like a rock yet soft and caring. And he’s brilliant. - a faint sad smiled appeared on her lips making her look incredibly beautiful in the green hues of the lion’s cockpit - He was the best pilot of our class that’s why he was chosen for the Kerberos mission… Please, he’s my friend I need to know if he’s ok."

Pidge had never heard of this girl from the Black Paladin, actually he rarely talked about his life before Voltron, besides she meant for a physical description of him when she asked but from what she said of him she was sure Layla knew him and the decision became easy.

“Ok, then. Hang on to something, you’re coming with us."

The only answer the biologist gave her was a soft thank you, more like a sigh of relief than a proper answer. And so she started the green lion and head back to the castle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we finally got to see Pidge! Next chapter the gang will be all back together!!  
> Also I don't know what rank Matt and his father had on the Kerberos mission, actually now that I think about it I'm not sure that it was even confirmed that Shiro was the pilot. Anyway for this I'm going to assume that Mr. Holt was the commander/engineer of the mission, Shiro the pilot and Matt the biologist.  
> For those asking, the other members of Layla's team do not care about her AT ALL. Hell, they were probably just sleeping and didn't even notice the giant magic alien ship above their heads. But sooner or later they will notice that she's missing and since they don't want to get in trouble for a) not doing their jobs and b) loosing the dammed biologist, they will likely report that she went out on her own for whatever reason and never came back and that whatever happened to her was her own fault. The Garrison being dicks wouldn't even question that and say that she got killed on the line of duty. They have bigger problems that worry about a missing girl anyway. Like figuring out what the hell happened in the desert a couple of months back so yeah, nobody will really worry about Layla. Poor Layla.  
> Anyway I'm going to be busy for the next week or so, I'm hoping to be able to do next chapter by the end of the next week but i'm not sure. Sorry if it will take longer than that!


	7. Chapter 7 - Layla

_**Chapter 7 - Layla** _

 

 

As the ship left the wormhole Lance was quiet, looking longly in the direction Earth was supposed to be. It was notting more than a dim blue dot against the blackness of the universe but it was home. And it was so close he could see it.

Just a few seconds in his lion and he would be back, back to the normality of his old days as a student, back to his family, his huge, loud, chaotic family. He missed them most of everything else.

The room was as much silent as he was. Hunk was watching their distant home too, but his face was more relaxed than Lance’s. He was clearly homesick too but he seemed at peace with the situation. 

Allura was the one to break the silence: “I know what all of you must be thinking… We are indeed close to your home but we can’t stay. We have a mission to accomplish first."

Her tone was determinate yet soft and bittersweet, her own feeling clearly in display. She understood better than all of them what it meat to not being able to go home, and she knew that the only way to prevent other worlds from being destroyed was to be strong and keep going now.

Hunk looked at the floor but nodded, understanding what the princess meant but Lance, Lance simply could just accept it. Not when he was so close to home.

“That’s easy to say for you princess... - he said in a cold voice that almost didn’t seem to belong to him - If that was Althea you would go back in the blink of an eye."

“Lance! - Shiro scolded him - That’s enough! Everybody want to go home but as long as Zarkon is out there we still have a duty."

Lance knew they were right, he knew it with every fiber of his body and yet he wished he could just hop on his lion and go back. Just for a little while, just to feel the rain on his skin and hug his mother once again. He didn’t reply, he just kept gazing in the distance.

“Shiro is right. If we go back nobody will fight Zarkon and sooner or later he will wipe the entire universe out, Earth included. - Keith said with determination and a boiling anger hidden beneath his words. - Look, I know it’s hard for you but if you want to have a home to go back to you better get a hold of yourself. You are a paladin, start acting like one."

“Keith! That’s not helping!” Shiro tried to calm down the Red Paladin.

Lance wanted to scream at Keith as he always did, but he couldn’t. He hated to admit it but he was right. He wasn’t thinking as a Paladin of Voltron, he was thinking as homesick teenage boy, but after all that’s what he was. Not some hardened warrior like Shiro or some brave pilot like Keith, neither he had a personal reason to keep pushing forward like Allura Coran or Pidge. He was the average guy of the bunch and he just wanted to go home. 

He looked at Hunk who was now standing closer to him. The bigger teen put a hand on his friend's shoulder and with his warm caring voice said: “Listen, we have seen what happens when the Garla conquers a planet. They kill it. I want to go home as well but if we do nobody will be here to protect Earth or other planets from that. So, what I mean is first we kick some aliens’ butts and then we go home. What do you say, pal?"

Lance gave in, he never actually considered bailing on them and this charade was just pointless and childish. Keith was right, he needed to do better. First save the day, then go back home to celebrate, that’s what heroes do right?

He sighed and went back to his usual overconfident self and said with a half smile: "I say it sounds good. But I’ll have the Garrison put a giant statue of me in the school after we save the Universe."

Everyone assumed the most unimpressed faces they could master while Keith face-palmed himself but, as much as the others, he was actually relieved to see that Lance was back.

He wasn’t going to forget Earth in one day but Lance thought with a small smile that even if his real family wasn’t her/his teammates were close enough. He liked that thought very much.

 

°°°

 

“Come! This way!” Pidge gestured Layla to follow her in the hallway that connected the hangar to the rest of the castle.

“Keep up! You’ll have time to look at the castle later!” She said again seeing that her newfound companion was too busy looking around to actually care to keep her pace.

Pidge understood the curiosity the girl had, she was the same when they first found the castle, but she didn’t have the time to show her around. She needed to get back to the others and make sure they were alright. It’s not that she didn’t trust Allura but she still had to see for herself before relaxing completely. Somehow that mismatched bunch of idiots had became like a second family to her and after loosing part of her first one she wanted to be sure everything was back to normal. Well as normal it could be for a bunch of teenagers, two ten-thousand years old aliens and a family of mice fighting for the future of the universe at least.

They passed through the last door and saw the rest of Team Voltron closed in a circle, probably discussing their next move. Pidge couldn’t repress her emotion any longer at the sight and with tears streaming down her cheeks and a wide smile she jumped and hugged all of them making the boys fall right on the floor.

“Dude! You are so small that even the Castle couldn’t find you! From now on you’re under my supervision! I’m not letting you out of sight ever again!” Lance cried loudest than all of the others while hugging her back.

Keith was hugging both of them with the same relief but still couldn't stop himself from replying with sarcasm to the Blue Paladin: “I hope you got it the other way around or both of you are screwed.” 

Everybody laughed at that sill not releasing each other from the hug. It was pure joy, somehow they managed to be all back together and all in one peace.

“Tonight we celebrate! I’ll make the best dinner we ever had with space-goo, you’ll see!” Said Hunk releasing finally the hug and getting back on his feet.

“Yes! That’s a marvelous idea!” Encouraged Coran twirling his ridiculous mustaches. Then he turned and saw that there was another Earthling watching the scene from the doorstep.

“AHHH! - he screamed - An intruder! Who are you!? What do you want!? Princess, hide behind me! Quickly!” And he started doing the same bad impression of a martial artist he did when the paladins first met him.

Layla looked at him, not threatened at all, and then she moved her gaze to Pidge looking for answers. The Green Paladin had the same unimpressed look and got up to put herself between the alien general and the “intruder”.

“Calm down, Coran. She’s with me. She found me on Ganymede and she wanted to come with us."

“Why would you?” asked the princess studying carefully the girl with read hair.

But before she could give her the answer a soft shocked voice called: “Layla…?"

Layla turned back to the paladins and focused on the one who spoke. He was a little taller and more muscular than what she remembered. He seemed older too, with the streak of white in his hair and the scar across his face hardened by whatever he went through while he was missing. As she noticed his torned armor barely hiding another bigger and seemingly fresher scar her heart seemed to stop, broken by pain. He had changed but there was no mistaking it. That man was Shiro.

“I knew you weren’t dead…” she said as tears started falling on her face.

He moved quickly and closed the distance between them and pulled her now shaking form in a strong hug, leaning down, because of the height difference between them, and burying his face in her hair. She nestled in his arms, her own arms around his chest and her face still soaked with tears pressed against his broken armor. He noted with a smile that she fitted perfectly.

Everyone else in the room was watching speechless. Allura, Pidge and Coran had a faint blush on their cheeks, Kieth and Hunk look at each other hoping to make some sense out of what was going on and Lance… Well Lance was being Lance.

He was the only one still on the ground and his mouth was so open that he swore it was touching the floor. Overreacting as always he jumped back up and screamed at the top of his lungs: “WHAT IN THE HOLY NAME OF VOLTRON IS GOING ON HERE!?"

Everybody was staring at him now. Layla and Shiro released each other from the embrace and looked at him too, Layla more confused that the Black Paladin.

Shiro rubbed the back of his head, a little embarrassed, and said: “Well, this is Layla. She was in my class at the Garrison, we’re old friends."

Layla waved just as embarrassed as he was and added “Uhm… Hi!"

Lance closed is mount and assumed the most unamused expression he could manage while whispering to himself: “Yeah, friend my ass."

“Wait, I remember you… - Said Keith now looking more intensely at the girl. - You’re a biologist, right? What were you doing on Ganymede?"

With a professional tone she explained her mission to the young crew and once she was done Shiro looked at her with wide eyes and whispered more than said: “Like Kerberos…"

She heard him since she was still close to him and explained: “Yes… After your...  _disappearance_ the Garrison was forced to delay other travels to Kerberos for a while and decided to focus on closer celestial bodies… But they have already planned new missions on that bloody moon. I hoped to get in the new mission once they had approved it to see with my eyes what had happened to you but I was stationed on Ganymede instead…"

Shiro’s eyes widened even more at that. She was willing to go at the very edge of the Solar System to find him? She had always been a caring friend but this was a little to much even for her. Before he could investigate more though Allura asked: “So that’s why you are here? Because you wanted to find you friend?"

“Yes… I’d like to stay with you if that’s not a problem. I guess you must be the alien princess right? - Allura’s eyebrow rose at that comment, curious to know what Layla knew. - Pidge told me the major points of what’s going on. If you are actually fighting do defend the Universe I want to help.”

She was determined. Shiro didn’t remember her being so headstrong. In the days of the academy she usually was miter, not really getting involved in things unless it had to do with her friends. She was like a mother bear with them but otherwise she was sweet and polite, rarely voicing her opinion on a matter. He was pleased to see that she was more involved now but he knew better that anyone that their mission was dangerous and even if he was grateful he had the chance to see her again he didn’t want to put her in harm’s way so he said: “No. I’m glad that I got to see you again but this is not childs play. It will be dangerous and you don’t have the training for it.”

He tried to be hard but she didn’t budge: “I can see that very well. - She said glancing at his new scar before locking on his steely eyes again. - At that is exactly why I should come with you. I’m sure you can use someone with medical training. Besides I actually have been on a couple of missions so don’t even start saying that I don’t have the training for it."

Her points made sense, he had to give her that. Aside from himself every paladin was basically a rookie and they did pretty good things considered so having someone else with actual experience could be an improvement. 

“Alright. If it’s ok with you, princess. This is your castle after all.” He said looking at Allura.

Allura smiled and said in her softer diplomatic voice: “Of course! We are happy to have more help.” She then proceeded to introduce herself and the rest of members of Team Voltron.

“Now, why don’t we all relax and celebrate as planned?” The princess concluded.

“Sounds good to me. - Lance said pulling one of his infamous smolders - Do you want me to show you the castle?"

Layla assumed again her professional face and tone and said: “Actually, I’d like to check those wounds. - She turned to the Black Paladin pointing at the scar on his side. - Do you have a medical bay or something like it?"

“Well, we have magical healing pods, does that count?” Said Hunk while pointing at the door leading to the pods room.

“What?!” She replied confused.

Shiro caught the girl’s attention saying: “Layla, you don’t have to worry. They are already healed."

“Still, I want to see them. You may not be bleeding anymore but the wound could still be infected.” She had to look up to face the tallest paladin but her eyes were fierce. Shiro knew she wouldn’t stop so he gave in. He was too tired to fight his old friend.

The two and Pidge, who wanted to make sure Shiro was ok as well, then proceeded to go to the pods room while Hunk and Coran headed to the kitchen to make the fabulous dinner they had promised. While the remaining paladins scattered in the castle, the princess resumed her pilot position and drove the ship through another wormhole, away from the Milky Way and away from the paladins’ home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait but here it is and the space squad is back togeter!   
> Anyway, I'll take a couple of chapters to develop more the team relationships before starting with a new plot point so if you dig simple cute things stay tuned because the happiness won't last long (as seen in chapter 2, I am actually a terrible person)


	8. Chapter 8 - Home is not that far after all

**_Chapter 8 - Home is not that far after all_ **

 

 

“Alright, take off your armor so I can look better at those wounds."

Layla and Shiro were at the center of the circle created by the pods while Pidge was quietly but carefully observing the other girl from the sidelines. Due to the nature of their adventures it was more than likely that someone else was going to get hurt during a mission so she though that learning a little first-aid could come in handy.

The man obeyed and got rid of the upper part of his broken armor revealing his robotic arm and a constellation of scars all over his torso. None was as big as his newest one and from how they healed Layla assumed they mustn’t have been deep wounds, what startled her was Shiro’s “new” arm. Her face was pallid, eyes locked on the scar that tied the prosthetic to the flesh. What exactly happened to him? 

Shiro noted her distress and using his good hand he grasped the biologist’s right shoulder and said: “Hey, it’s not as as bad as it looks. This can actually be quite useful at times."

His tone was soft, caring, and Layla wanted to punch herself in the face. He was the one covered in scars and without an arm and she was the one being comforted. She was pitiful, she need to do better. Layla was about to say something but Pidge butted in from her spot on the steps in front of the pods.

“Yeah! Since it’s made of Garla tech we can use it to access their interfaces and it’s super cool when he uses it as a weapon!"

She was cheerful, as if she was showing off a new life changing invention not talking about the replacement of her friend's missing limb. Of course, Layla thought as the two went on talking about the positive sides of Shiro’s alien arm. She shouldn’t focus on what was lost but on what it was gained or she would never be able to move forward. With a bittersweet small smile and a little bit of shame she thought that all the paladins where so much stronger than her. She had to notch up her game if she wanted to be part of this team.

When the two had stopped geeking about the bright sides of Shiro’s arm she went back in her doctor mode and started examining the newest scar on her old friend’s body.

She first looked carefully at it and then pressed gently its perimeter. It wasn’t swollen nor hot and the faint redness was probably due to its freshness rather than to an infection so there shouldn’t be anything to worry about. Yet the shape it had taken was bothering her, those where burning marks. She kept looking until it hit her. They had talked about how he could heat up his right hand and use it as a weapon. Burning marks. He cauterized his wound. 

As she realized that, her hands, that where still tracing the scar, stopped dead in their tracks. He must have felt an incredible pain, to think he was able to do it on such an extended wound… Layla knew he had an amazing strength of will, she just never realized how much impressive it was until now.

Shiro noted that her hands stopped. He had always been able to tell what she was thinking by looking in her eyes, no matter how hard she tried to hide an emotion, even if her face was completely unreadable, her big pale green eyes always betrayed her thoughts. Now though he couldn’t even see her face since her long crimson hair were in the way so he asked: “Something wrong?"

Layla quickly regained her composure and looked up at him saying: “No. The wound doesn’t seem infected, maybe keep an eye on it for the next few days, just to be sure."

He let out a small smile and joking replied: “Yes, doctor!"

Layla was glad that for a change he didn’t notice her worry. He was fine, there was no need to fuss about what happened.

On the other hand though, Pidge had had a clear shot of the worried expression that crossed the older girl’s face for a brief moment. She made a mental note to ask about it later, if something was off with Shiro she wanted to know.

“So how did that happen?” Layla said pointing at his metal arm as Shiro sat down on the steps near Pidge.

“I… Don’t know actually. I remember just fragments of my imprisonment."

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to…” Layla started, not even knowing how to put into words the whirlwind of emotion she was experiencing all at once. Sadness, for all the pain he had to endure. Anger, for what the Garla did to him. Guilt, for not being there for him, for not finding him sooner.

“It’s alright. You have the right to know as well since you are part of this team now. - He said with a bittersweet smile and after a small pause he told her what little he remembered of that terrible year.

He told her of how he was captured, of the fighting pits, of how he escaped. And when he was done Pidge concluded: “And then we found him in the desert and we found the Blue Lion and we got into this huge mess."

“Tell me more.” Layla said with a soft expression as she sat on the steps with them.

She couldn’t have been there before, but she wanted to know everything that happened to him, it wouldn’t make it right but it was a start.

They went on filling her in on what had happened since they had found the Blue Lion for what felt like hours.

Layla was very impressed by the achievements of the young paladins. Fighting giant monsters and freeing enslaved planets had always been the kind of things that happen in sci-fi films or books to her, and yet to them they were a very real, almost daily experience. She hoped she could be of use to team in their future fights but since she wasn’t much of a fighter that was a little too far fetched. For now all she could do was support them as the medical expert.

As Pidge was telling her about the crystal incident of a couple of weeks back, the intercom projected Coran’s voice calling them for dinner.

Shiro stood up first and said to the girls: “You start going, I’ll head to my room to get something to put on. I’ll see you there."

He was still half naked, with all his glorious muscle and scars in full display but neither of the girls seemed to have notice until then. Layla, while looking at the floor, put a strand of hair that had fallen out of her braid behind her right ear and said: “Yeah, sure."

She wasn’t supposed to feel embarrassed, she had seen countless men shirtless, she was a doctor for crying out loud, but then again Shiro had always been special to her.

Pidge nodded quickly at him, now probably self-conscious of the older male too, and then looked at the elder girl and said: “This way!"

So the three left the room headed in different directions.

As they walked down one of the hallways Pidge asked the biologist: “Is he really ok?"

The redheaded girl glanced at the younger one who was looking straight ahead with a worried expression, every sign of the fun they had just a few minutes before, gone.

Layla thought a little about her question. After their story she knew that Pidge was actually Katie Holt and that, not unlike herself, she was looking for her missing loved ones, and that her father and brother were on the Kerberos mission with Shiro. That meant that the two of them probably had a deep connection and Pidge's unrest over the Black Paladin’s wellbeing just strengthened that idea so she decided to open up to the Green Paladin and tell her own worries about their common friend.

“Physically? Yes, as I said the wound isn’t infected and it was closed pretty neatly, actually. But I’m still worried about him… He’s been though a lot, hasn’t he?"

 “Yeah, he has. - Pidge said simply. - But he’s strong, so I guess it’ll be fine."

Layla looked at the young paladin once more. She had faith in him to be alright, it was clear from the more relaxed look she had now. But still Layla knew he had a rough year, to say the least, no matter how strong one person is, everyone has their breaking point. She vowed to help lift his burden even if only a little and just nodded, not revealing her darkest thought to the shorter girl.

 

The dinner went smoothly. Everyone was happy to be back together and with a new member of the team to get to know. There were questions about what Layla did before and the other way around. Lance even tried to get her to spill some embarrassing stories of their leader as a cadet but the most embarrassing thing he got was that Shiro had failed the simulator only on the first day, after that he got stellar results. Not much to go on with, especially since he didn’t complete a single mission in the dammed thing.

The food Hunk and Coran made was delicious too, Coran even got some Nunvil to celebrate and to everyone surprise Layla actually liked the stuff. As always Lance reaction was the most ridiculous and priceless one. He questioned the very fabric of reality since to him, no one in their right mind should like that unholy drink.

Keith noticed that, aside from those instances though, the Blue Paladin didn’t annoy or flirt with the newcomer much, actually he was pretty quiet, for his standards at least. Something was clearly wrong with the him but Keith decided to question him about it later since he didn’t want to ruin everyone’s fun and so he enjoyed the rest of the evening listening to anyone who was telling a story at the moment.

Hunk was the first to notice how late it was and to leave to go to sleep. He was soon followed by everybody else since they planned to start scheming their counterattack first thing in the morning and everyone wanted to get some deserved rest before that.

“Alright Layla, I’ll show you a room you can use as your own. - Said Allura getting up from her chair, and nothing that the human girl was still wearing her garrison space suit added - But first come to my room, I’ll give you something more comfortable to wear."

“Don’t worry, It’s fine! Besides I don’t think I can fit your clothes...” The redhead started to complain.

Layla was a good ten centimeters or so smaller that the princess and while she wasn’t unfit, her body was curvier than the alien’s tall lean one.

“Nonsense! Altheans have the ability to shape-shift so I have a ton of dresses of all shapes and colors. I’m sure there must be something for you as well.” The princess insisted.

“Alright then.” Layla agreed with a smile, she did want a change of clothes after all...

“Great! You too Pidge! What about a girls night out?” The princess enthusiasm didn’t know bounds that evening and soon even the Green Paladin was affected by it.

“Yeah, why not! It’s been a while since last time I did that." 

Coran and Shiro where the only ones left sitting in the dining hall and both watched as the girls giggled away with soft eyes.

How long had it been since Allura had such a relaxed face? Coran found himself to mentally thank the female earthlings for making his beautiful princess smile as a carefree little girl once again.

On the other hand Shiro didn’t know what to be more happy about. Both Pidge’s and Allura’s laughters were music to his ears but Layla’s was different. Layla's was like a ray of light peeking through the clouds on a rainy day. He had almost forgotten that warm feeling her genuine smile could make rise in the people who were fortunate enough to see it. He was so glad that he had the chance to witness it once again. As he was still daydreaming watching the door close behind the trio Coran’s voice brought him back to reality.

“Thank you, Shiro.” He said in a softer tone than usual.

The Black Paladin was confused. Why was he thanking him? If anything he was responsible for the majority of the mess that day had been so he gave him an inquiring look and asked: “For what?"

The alien shook his head and twirling his mustaches he replied: “Never mind. Anyhow I believe that Layla isn’t the only one in need of a new outfit.”

Shiro was now wearing his civilian clothes, he had left his torn armor in his room. He hadn’t even thought of changing it until the redheaded alien brought it up, but he definitely needed a replacement so he just nodded and followed the elder man further into the ship.

 

Lance was beat. As soon as the door closed behind him he trowed himself on his bed, ready for a good night sleep. The only problem was that he already knew he wasn’t going to get one. Since they left the Milky Way his thoughts kept wandering to his distant family and home. It was just so much more harder to endure the homesickness while seeing Shiro reunited with someone from his life before all this alien mess, and on top of it all Layla reminded him so much of his older sister, even if in personality only, that he found it odd to try his usual pick up lines on her. This day couldn’t just get any worse.

There was then a knock on the door and after he pulled himself up he shouted: “Come in, it’s open!"

The door slid open revealing a bright red jacket and a terrible black mullet. The Red Paladin walked inside the room and before Lance could even ask him what he was doing there the other boy folded his arms and said: “Ok, what the hell is wrong with you?"

He was wrong, it could get worse.

Lance was so done with everything that had happened that day that he didn’t even try to go on about this in a civil way. He jumped down of the bed, back on his feet, and dramatically pointed and his rival shouting more than saying: “What the hell is wrong with me?! The hell is wrong with you?! You’re the one going in someone else’s room and picking a fight with them!"

Keith was completely unfazed by Lance reaction and he simply said: “I’m not picking a fight. You were moping, it was an eyesore."

“I’ll make your eye sore!” Lance shouted holding up his fist as if he wanted to punch him in the face.

Keith cracked his knuckles, his left eyes twitching, and said: “Yeah? I’d like to see you try"

He didn’t have the patience to put up with Lance any longer than he already had, but then he remembered the sorrowful look his rival had when he was looking at Earth in the distance and he remembered that he wasn’t there to fight. The Red Paladin sighed to relax him self and then looking his peer right in the eyes said: “ You miss home, right?"

Lance backed down immediately at that. The same look of longing he had before now back in full display on his face. He was too tired to pretend everything was ok so he said: “I know that us being out here is the right thing to do, don’t get me wrong, I really do… But of course I miss it… Don’t you?"

Keith was surprised. He never actually thought of Earth much. Sure, he did want to go back sooner or later but he wasn’t like everybody else. All he had to wait for him was an empty shack in the middle of the desert...

“Not really.” he said in the end, looking away.

Lance was incredulous. How this one guy was able get on every single one of his nerves with just tow words was beyond him.

“Oh, come on! Even all mighty you must miss his family!” 

“I can’t. - He said, his dark purple eyes glistening in the shadows of Lance room - I don’t have one."

Every single ounce of hate left Lance in a millisecond. Flashes of Keith’s lonely hut in the desert and of his unfriendly attitude at school filled his mind. Of course he didn’t miss Earth, he didn’t have anything to go back home to.

Lance mentally punched himself in the face. He had been so self-absorbed that he forgot he wasn’t the only one hurting. Pidge, Keith, Allura, everyone had their trouble but that didn’t stop them from doing their jobs. He had to do better. He was one of the legs of Voltron, how could they hope to defeat Zarkon if he didn’t provide good footing?

Lance sat down on his bed once more and asked the Red Paladin that was still looking away: “Did I ever told you about that one time my abuela almost drowned me?"

Keith looked back at the boy, he had bittersweet smile but that sense of loneliness was gone from his eyes. The Red Paladin wondered what brought the change of attitude but he welcomed it and as he sat on the floor he asked confused: “Abuela? What’s that?"

Lance bursted into laughter. He shouldn’t really have expected differently since Spanish isn’t a mandatory course at the Garrison but still, he had finally found something he had beaten Keith on.

“That’s Spanish for grandmother." he said pulling the biggest smirk he could master.

Keith was dumbfounded. He never actually saw Lance smirk that way before, and he had to admit that he was quite handsome when he wasn’t annoying the hell out of him.

“I thought you were supposed to tell me a story not teach me Spanish.” He replied with a smirk of his own.

Lance smile didn’t drop one inch and as he started telling the story of how his grandmother accidentally almost drowned him in a bathtub to make him and one of his brothers shut up he thought: _“Thank you, Keith. I’m not going to forget this one."_  


The two teenage continued sharing stories of their childhood for hours. Actually it was more Lance narrating one of his ridiculous adventures with his siblings and Keith listening and from time to time questioning the sanity of Lance’s family but still. Lance had just finished telling him about that one time he accidentally set on fire his older sister’s favorite teddy bear and almost burnt down their house in the process when he noticed a faint snoring. He looked at his friend's limp shape, leaning against the wall, his chest raising regularly at every breath he took. His glossy black hair were covering part of his face, for once relaxed and without his usual menacing look. The deep black contrasted beautifully against his light perfect porcelain skin and Lance had a realization: Keith was handsome.

It wasn’t actually news, the leaner boy had always known that his rival was good looking but he never noticed just how beautiful he actually was. A strong red blush appeared on his cheeks as he found himself considering new possibilities.

Lance had always known he liked guys as much as he liked girls and to him it wasn’t a problem. What was a problem was that now he was starting to think of Keith in that way.

He shook his head. Just because he was handsome and they had actually a good time it didn’t mean things had to change between them. He actually enjoyed their fights, even if he would never admit it, and he surely wasn’t going to endanger what they had. Not when he was sure that Keith didn’t saw him in that way. 

He stood up and gently put his blanket on his sleeping friend, being careful not to wake him and as he trow himself on his bed he whispered: “You actually are giant pain, you know."

And with that he fall asleep thinking that maybe home wasn’t that far after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a little longer than usual but I hope it was worth it. :)  
> Ok the only note that I want to share is that my headcanon for Lance is that he's pansexual and his family is from a state in South America, I don't really know which maybe Cuba? I've seen spanish speacking!Lance everywhere on tumblr and this has become my reason to live, I'don't know who started it so i'm just going to credit all of the fandom for this one.  
> Also don't speak spanish at all so if there will be more spanish it will all come from google translate so I apologize if I get something wrong.  
> Also I hope that him beeing pan in this won't offend anyone, I'm straight and aside from the internet I have really little experience about this so if I did offend anyone with my representation of him please let me know!  
> Anyway if you liked the last part get ready for next chapter because there will be more fluffines!


	9. Fighting isn't always bad

**_Chapter 9 - Fighting isn't always bad_ **

 

 

 

Hunk ran down the hallways at full speed. He had overslept and missed the meeting by a good 40 minutes and so he was already mentally prepared to receive a scolding from the rest of the team. As he bursted into the room he started apologizing while trying to catch his breath  but he was surprised to see that only Coran and Shiro were in the lounge, sitting on the couch, patiently waiting with folded arms and defeated looks for the rest of the team to show up.

“Wait… Where is everyone?” Hunk asked wondering if he was still dreaming.

Shiro looked at him and rising his shoulders said: “Beats me. We were here on time and you’re the first one to show."

Hunk took a breath of relief upon earring that he wasn't the only one late and sat down on the couch with the older males, waiting patiently for the others to join them.

After about ten minutes or so one of the doors opened again revealing the girls, each in a very disheveled state.

Allura’s curly hair were a huge mess of tangles and her usually neat dress was full of wrinkles but surprisingly her face wasn’t sleepy at all. Layla’s on the other hand was terrible, with puffy eyes and pink marks her pillow left on her right cheek. Her new clothes, a long white skirt with some gold accents at its end and a light lavender sleeveless turtleneck covered by a white jacket with gold and black accents, though gave her a somewhat acceptable look along side her loose long straight hair. Instead Pidge's look was completely unredeemable. Her already puffy hair were even bigger and wilder, so much so that it seemed she had a mane. Her face wasn’t much better with bags under her eyes so purple that it looked like someone had punched her right in the face.

“Though night?” Asked the Black Paladin half smirking.

“Let’s just say that things went a little overboard - answered the princess, avoiding giving any concrete detail to the boys - Anyhow, where are Keith and Lance?"

Then, as if it was scripted, the two teenagers entered the room, both looking terrible as well.

Keith’s bedhead was even worse than Pidge’s, and that was to say something, and he kept massaging his neck as if he had kept it in a awkward position all night long. Lance’s hair on the other hand weren’t much worse than usual but for some reason he was still wrapped in a blanket and was visibly shivering from the cold.

“Seems like we’re not the only ones who had though night…” The Green Paladin commented with a mischievous smile.

Lance only shot an annoyed look at her way, probably still too sleepy to properly register her suggestive remark.

Allura brought back the attention to the matter at hand. After their last encounter it had become painfully clear that there would be no way of defeating Zarkon with their current fighting power. Even the most powerful weapon in the universe could do just so much damage against an entire empire after all. They needed more people to give support to Voltron and the fastest way to get allies was to free more occupied planets like they did with the Balmera. Allura’s idea was simple and sound and it was also what they had actually planned to do before their last mission went to hell.

Keith had another idea though: “What about that quint-something?"

“Quintessence. - Corrected Coran - What about it?"

“Well, when I was trying to steal some I got hurt but as soon as I touched the stuff I was healed."

“I’ve never heard quintessence having such strong regenerative powers! - Said marveled the elder alien - They must have tampered with it somehow… But then again I’ve never seen raw quintessence to begin with so I can’t be sure unless I analyze it."

“I don’t know what that stuff is but if it is some kind of organic matter with healing properties I should be able to help you analyzing it.” Added Layla.

“We should investigate that then. - Lance proposed. - I mean, Keith did say that they were also using it as some kind of fuel and now it’s also some crazy magical healing potion? I say we cut their supplies. That should make saving other planets easier for us."

“That… Is actually a great idea!” Coran said pondering their odds.

“Then let’s go steal it for real this time!” Keith concluded determinated.

“Wait a second! - Hunk said with a sarcastic undertone - Let me get this straight. You want to steal some of that stuff to study it, right?"

“Yeah.” Lance replied simply.

“And to steal it we have to go back to that space hub thing that almost got us all killed, right?"

“Well, yeah. Or do you know some other places that have that quint-whatever stuff.” Keith answered dryly.

“I hate to be the one to point this out, again, but… DO YOU TWO HAVE A DEATH WISH? - The Yellow Paladin shouted at the top of his lungs. - Because that’s what’s going to happen if we go back there!"

“Hunk is right - Said Shiro in his usual calm and collected tone. - We barely sneaked in the first time, we won’t be able to do it again."

“Your idea is good but we can’t risk it. We should stick to the plan.” Concluded the princess.

“Wait.. What if we find another place like that? - Inquired Pidge, her eyes sparkling, the gears in her head turning at high speed. - That can’t be the only place where they store quintessence. I mean the Garla Empire is huge! They must have other deposits across the universe. If we found one we could go and steal it from that."

“Yeah, the only problem is that these are supposed to be super secret bases. How to you plan to find another one?” Asked the Yellow Paladin still not entirely sure about this.

“We still have part of Sendak’s memories. Maybe I can find something useful if I crosscheck them with the info we got from the crushed ship and the galactic hub.” 

“That would require time though…” Shiro pointed out.

“Well it’s not like we have an actual idea of where to begin saving planets anyway. - Said Layla matter of factually. - If we want to increase our fighting power we should start from planets that have a higher technological knowledge and unless you have a list of which planets still have working spaceships then that will take some research too. I say we stick with the one we have more info on, first."

That was cold and calculated. Shiro wondered when his old friend had become so ruthless. He knew she wasn’t proposing to abandon “weaker” planets, just to start freeing those who had an actual chance to fight back and then go back to the others. From a tactical point it was actually a sound reasoning, but still that didn't sit right with him, he had already left behind others in need once, he was't going to do it again.

“NO! That’s not how we do things! - Allura evidently was as troubled by that comment as the Black Paladin was - Voltron is here to defend ALL of the universe. If we start selecting who to help and who to leave behind we’re no better than Zarkon.” 

Her blue eyes were hard and cold, looked onto Layla’s pale green ones. The earthling was clearly offended by the suggestion that her methods were as bad as the empire’s ruthless occupation and said in a cold voice that Shiro barely recognized: “I’m just saying where is logical to start, not that we should choose who to save and who to let die, princess."

“Ok, enough of that!” Shiro said trying to break the tension.

It was surprising form him to see that coldhearted version of Layla. Layla who had always had kind eyes and a soft word for everyone, Layla who rarely started a fight for herself. He would have to deal with that later. For now he had to do something before the situation escalated into a full on fight. That was the last thing they needed. 

“We need to work together if we want to win this. Pidge, you try to find something about another space hub. Meanwhile Coran and I will try to find where is best to starting freeing planets."

Allura shot an incredulous look at him and he immediately elaborated: “Don’t worry, I’m not planning on selecting who to save. But Layla isn’t completely wrong, we can’t just start freeing people blindly. We need a plan."

Both Allura and Layla looked at him and finally both agreed to the compromise.

With that the meeting was over and Pidge and Hunk left to start working on the information they had. Shiro, Coran and the princess did the same, but headed for the main control room to look at the map and decide where was best to start. That left Lance, Layla and Keith alone in the lounge.

“Well, I’m still sleepy so if anyone needs me, don’t wake me up.” And with that the Blue Paladin headed back to his room.

“I’m hitting the training deck. See ya."

  
_The training deck_? Layla still hadn’t had the time to see all of the ship’s wonders and she thought this might be her chance to improve her fighting ability. If they were going to fight she wanted to do her part.

“Wait! Would you mind training me? I’ll need to know how to fight if things get though.” She asked, determination now filling her eyes.

"Okay I guess. This way.”  Keith said not minding much. Having a sparring partner could help him as well after all.

 

Layla came to regret her choices really quickly. She wasn’t strong but she was quick on her feet and quite good ad dodging. The problem was attacking. As soon as she made her move the Red Paladin read her like an open book and neutralized her in a single movement, making her fell face first on the floor for the eleventh time.

“I told you already! Your attacks are too obvious! Even a kid could tell you were going for a punch there!"

The biologist groaned but got back on her feet quickly and after taking a deep breath she focused her fiery eyes on her adversary and said: “Again."

They stared off for a couple of seconds, studying carefully each others movements. Then in a blur Keith leaped towards her and slashed his sword. A miss. Layla had dodged the attack quickly leaping to the left. But the boy didn’t gave up, another quick swoop of his weapon and the girl was forced to roll on the ground to avoid it. And then came a quick rounds of attacks, one more close to hit the target than the other. Layla was quickly cornered again, with Keith’s blade just few inches away from her face. This time she didn’t even have the time to try a counterattack. She had a lot to work on. 

She had tied her hair in high ponytail, removed her new jacket and knotted her long skirt in a way that didn’t limited her movements but without a weapon of her own, her quick reflexes could get her only this far.

“Okay, I give up. This one is yours, _again_."

Keith smirked but this wasn’t entertaining anymore after his 12th victory so he said: “Why don’t you take a break and watch me go against the bot? Maybe you could learn something."

“Yeah, fine.” She answered sitting in a corner of the room and catching her breath. 

They had been at it for more than an hour now, and she was at her limit.

“Initiate training level 2” The boy said and Layla’s attention focused on his fight against the robot.

It was amazing. He was amazing. Keith was quick on his feet, alternating a pattern of dodging and attacking that seemed a dance, a crude, violent dance but a dance none the less. He was brash too, from the sideline Layla noted he didn’t mind leaving his self open while attacking because if his attack hit then the enemy would have been pushed away by the strength of the blow and it wouldn’t have the time to hit him back. It was a risky stile, too aggressive for her to copy but she thought it was good to study him anyway.

His last hit in particular caught her attention. Holding his sword with both hands to give more strength to the blow he hit the robot’s hands making it loose its stance but not its footing nor weapon. The bot went in for a counterattack with its staff, but Keith was quicker. He dived in, right between the robot’s legs, and quickly got up now facing its back. Then holding his sword with both hands again and twirling like a batter he sliced his opponent right in half with a clean cut.

“Wow…” Layla whispered at the spectacle.

He turned to face her but before he could say anything the door opened and Shiro and Coran entered the spacious withe room.

Layla rose up catching the two men's attention.

“Oh you’re here too, good this way it’ll be quicker. - Said the alien commander. - We’ve studied the map and we think it would be best to start freeing planets in what was Sendak’s territory. We don’t know if he’s already been replaced or not but either way that is still the weaker spot in the whole empire."

“We’ll start tomorrow morning from a planet called Cryos. It’s a mining planet so our main objective is to first destroy the Garla installments and in the chaos freeing as many miners as possible.” Added Shiro in his perfect leader voice.

“What do you need me to do?”

“For now, just stay on the castleship and help Coran and the princess with tactical support. We’ll handle the rest."

Layla was a bit disappointed, she wanted to help her old and new friends as much as she could during this mission but she thought of how much Keith had kicked her ass during training and knew that she wasn’t ready for it, not yet. So she replied: “Okay, then be careful."

“We always are.” said the Black Paladin with a half smile.

The redheaded girl then changed the subject and focused her attention back to her sparring partner: “Shall we continue our training now?"

Keith was about to do decline, he had enough of teaching and wanted to keep training on his own but he was cut off by a Shiro before he could even answer.

“Wait, you were training with him? I tough you didn’t like fighting."

“I still don’t. But I don’t have the luxury to avoid it any longer. I need to know how to defend myself if I’m going to help you guys with all this “save the universe” thing."

Shiro was amazed. Somehow the Layla that was right there in front of him now wasn’t the same Layla he knew back at the garrison. She had changed and not in a bad way either. Now she was assertive while she had been timid, practical when she had always been an idealist. And yet somehow he could still see the same old kindness in her eyes, bury under a though shell she created for herself. He wondered what brought that change but then again he wasn’t the same boy full of dreams that left for Kerberos either. A year and a half can change a lot people. 

“Why don’t you spar with me then? I could use a partner.” He said wondering if he could see yet another new side of her.

She turned to Keith that simply nodded even before she questioned him, he gladly accepted that change of plans, so she replied with a faint smile: “I’d love too. But no weapons. Keith’s been using his sword the whole time and it was a pain. This time I want a fair match.”

“It’s not like the Garla won’t attack you just because you don’t have a weapon. They’re the bad guys, they don’t play fair.” Said the Red Paladin a little annoyed.

“Well why not use a weapon then? - Asked the ginger haired alien - We should have something stocked in the armory."

“Really? That would be great, thanks Coran!"

“I’ll go see what we still have. You continue training in the meanwhile!” 

And with that he left the young humans to their trainings.

Keith went back to the bots as he planned to and took one half of the training deck, while the other two decided to go with a hand-to-hand combat session on the half nearer to the door.

Shiro took a defensive stance and looking directly into Layla’s eyes said: “Whenever you’re ready."

Was he going to leave her the first move? She had to think this through carefully. Shiro not only was way taller than her but also significantly stronger, the only way she could win was by taking him by surprise. She raised her fists, mimicking his stance but she didn’t move. She already made too many times the mistake to go directly for the first hit with Keith, she was not going to do the same here so she waited. After a few seconds he shifted his weight from one foot to the other and launched in a quick and powerful attack with his metal hand. Layla was surprised to see that he was so swift but after avoiding Keith’s fast moves for the past hour she was able to dodge his punch rather easily. Tiptoeing on her feet she quickly moved to his left trying to find an opening but the Black Paladin was quicker and rolling on his shoulder he put some distance between the two of them again.

Layla thought of waiting for his next move before trying to go in for another hit but then she thought that he would see through her, after all defending and waiting was her style and he knew it so she didn’t wait but instead launched herself towards him. Shiro stood his ground, seemingly ready to catch whatever she decide to trow at him but he wasn’t ready for what she came up with. Layla feinted trowing a punch with her left hand and then she threw herself in a slide and passed right through his legs, coping the Red Paladin’s move masterfully. She got up and quickly tried to punch him in the back of his head but Shiro, being the seasoned warrior he was, was able to dodge the punch and grab her by the arm. He then easily threw her above his shoulder and slammed her on the ground and lowering his metallic hand to her throat he said with a small smug: “I win."

Layla was still breathless but it wasn’t from the collision with the floor, he had been careful not to slam her too hard in order not to hurt her. She had a hard time catching her breath because of the gorgeous view. He was on top of her pinning her to the floor with his weight in order to avoid her from getting free and attacking again but in that position their faces were so close that she could feel his even breath on her skin and he could see the small drops of gold in her pale green eyes. She didn’t know how much time they passed in that intimate position, seconds felt like hours and she used every single one to study and memorize even the smallest detail of his face as he did the same with hers. As she noted that his left steely grey eye had a little spot of a darker hue she never saw before he noted that her bangs had fallen out of the ponytail and were now draping her face, deep red in stark contrast with her pale skin. As she studied the scar on the bridge of his nose, he studied her flushed cheeks. As she gazed at his lips he did the same with hers.

Neither of them was conscious of it but both were slowly yet steadily closing the gap between them, his hand no longer at her throat but playing with her rebellious wisps of hair, his smug now replaced by the same pure awe and uncertainty that was painted on her face. Their minds both thinking the same things: _“You’re really here. / You’re really alive."_  


_"You’ve found me / I’ve found you."_

Then Coran entered the sliding door and announced triumphant: “Alright there wasn’t much left but I’ve found a pair of twin daggers that with some adjustment might- What are you doing exactly?"

They had jumped away from each other as soon as they heard his voice and now Layla was curled in a ball oh her right side giving her back to the alien and hiding her face between her hands, too embarrassed to even face him properly while Shiro was sitting on the floor next to her trying to pull his most stoic expression and failing miserably since he was blushing from ear to ear.

“We’re taking a break. I won.” The Black Paladin managed somehow to say.

“Oh well then, Layla look at these daggers. As I was saying, Pidge, Hunk and I can modify them to suit you better if you want.” He said quickly disregarding the earthlings strange behavior as he handed the weapons to the girl that was now facing him properly.

As she took the daggers, all Layla could think was that they were beautiful. They were more like two short-sowrds actually, about 40 cm each. Both the blades and hilts were pure white and the only color on them was the bright glowing cyan of their edges. The hilt was similar to Keith’s sword curving over the grip to protect the wielder’s hand, the blades straight and sharp on both ends.

“They are perfect as they are, thank you!” Layla said with softness in her voice.

“Why don’t you try them then!” encouraged the older man.

Layla and Shiro’s gazes crossed for a split second and then both called for the Red Paladin that was still fighting a robot and didn’t notice anything of what had happened. There was no way in hell either of them would risk to end up in that situation again, not until they had thought about it a little first at least.

So since then Keith became Layla’s usual sparring partner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay but I was sick (I still am actually but it's getting better) anyway here's the new chapter!


End file.
